


Just Say You Love Me

by jisungahyung



Category: Dream Team - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adorable, Cute, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Sapnap is a third wheel, dream and george being adorable, dream is a simp, george is oblivious but thats okay, george moves to florida, i thinks its slow burn, kind of flerting, knight!dream and king!george metaphors, really cheesy but who cares, sapnap is also adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28128171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jisungahyung/pseuds/jisungahyung
Summary: Dream and George have always been linked since they were kids. But when Dream proposes a game to George, the unaffectionate, oblivious best friend who never gives Dream enough attention, that if he makes George say "I love you" genuinely to him, he has to do whatever Dream says. George says he'd never give in, but how much can he trust his own words?
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound
Comments: 7
Kudos: 199





	Just Say You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> hello, i made this for fun but as always  
> \- don't share this to cc's  
> \- don't ship anyone unless they're okay with it (dream and george said they were)  
> \- don't harass any cc's  
> and please enjoy! :D

_Look George, it’s a smiley face!_

It was the first day of school for George and he had just moved from the country of England all the way to the US when his dad got called for a job in Florida. He was eight years old but he hid behind his mom wherever they went, including the cash register at a 7-Eleven. It was a scary experience for young George to just leave everything he knew just like that. But he didn’t know that sooner or later, he would meet his best friend.

After they had moved, George was groggy every morning due to a hard-hitting jet lag. So when he attended kindergarten three days after he had just arrived, he almost toppled someone over in his sleepiness.

“Woah!” Another kid said as George leaned over him at the entrance. He was trying his best to stay awake from only sleeping 5 hours when he usually sleeps twice that amount. His mom and dad were just about to leave into the taxi until they caught sight of their son leaning onto an unknowing student and just like that, his mom scrambled to get to George.

George blinked wearily and looked up at the face that became his temporary bed and saw yellow (or was it green?) eyes. George felt his eyelids get a little lighter at how vibrant those eyes were before realizing the situation he put himself in and panicked.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” George immediately stepped back from the kid and was finally able to size up the kid.

Bright blond hair donned his head and it was short, cut clean. Freckles were spotted all over his nose and cheeks which made him a really interesting character in George’s eyes. They were the same height and same body stature (being the same age, you know) but something about that kid made him look so…cool. Maybe it was the messy hair and red sneakers he wore or maybe George was just tired.

“Oh my god, dear, I’m so sorry.” Finally, George’s mum arrived to the scene, her bag sloppily slung around his shoulder. George looked to his dad who was talking to the taxi driver, looking apologetic, before he noticed George and gave two big thumbs up. George’s face lit up and he did it back. “My little George here likes to sleep a lot, so he might have thought you were a pillow. Are you okay?”

The kid looked back and forth at George and his mum, which made George feel kind of queasy but at the same time excited.

“You think I’m a pillow?!” The kid burst out loud, a smile lighting up his face. George didn’t expect that answer.

He thought for a while before coming up with a simple conclusion: “No.”

“Whaaaat?” The kid replied, looking hurt by that answer. “That’s mean.” He pouted.

George didn’t like how his smile went away and said, “Okay then, yes.” The kid’s smile returned.

It seemed like this conversation was progress in the eyes of George’s mum, because after that George felt his hair being ruffled before the clacking of shoes went further and further away. George looked back at his mom, slightly panicked, before seeing his mum send flying kiss his way, which was her way of saying ‘ _You got this, George’_ and so George felt his feet finally grounded, feeling calm after that.

The voice of the kid brought George’s attention back to the present.

“I’m Clay,” Weird name, George thought. “What’s your name, Mr. Sleepyhead?” George thought the nickname was stupid, but didn’t show it on his face.

“My name is George.”

“Ooooh! Like…like…” Clay thought, a hand running down an imaginary beard on his chin. “King George!”

_King George…._

George liked the sound of that.

“Yes, like King George.” George agreed.

“Okay, King George, can I be your friend?” Clay reached out a hand.

George looked at it for a while before slowly shaking it.

“Yes. I’ll be your friend.”

Out of nowhere, two arms wrapped around George. His eyes went so wide at the sudden embrace; he wasn’t used to hugging strangers—well, maybe they’re friends now—who he’d met that day. But he guessed a hug from this guy isn’t so bad.

“Thank you George! Let’s get to class!” Clay said and pulled George along from the wrist as he ran towards the classroom.

George felt dizzy, out of place, and kind of weirded out to be honest by this Clay guy, but at the same time, it made this new, foreign place not feel so bad after all.

Class was scary as hell.

Everyone was choosing their own seats and they were bustling around. Teachers were walking down the hallways and people who were in higher grades rushed through with their large stacks of books and messy hair made from frustration. It all became too much for George and he quickly became overwhelmed.

But luckily Clay was there.

Clay held his hand (or rather his wrist because he wasn’t comfortable enough to hold hands) so George never got lost. When they arrived in homeroom, Clay got too excited and chose two seats that were right beside each other that were in the middle aisle. George was in the left, and Clay was in the right. Another student was present in front of Clay’s seat who was playing with Play-Doh on his desk. He had a white bandana wrapped around his head, which seemed really cool to George.

Clay tapped the guy’s shoulder an annoying amount of times before he finally turned around and said, “What do you want, Dream? You’re sooo annoying.”

Dream? George was confused at the name.

Clay rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever, Sapnap. You’re annoying.” This Sapnap person stuck his tongue out.

“This is the new kid!” Sapnap looked at George and his face went from annoyed to surprised.

“What?! I never knew we would have a new student. This is awesome!” George picked at his fingernails, not knowing what to do. But he saw Clay come closer to him, which stopped him from feeling too nervous.

Clay went closer to him and whispered, “Introduce yourself, George.” But his whisper was way too loud and obvious.

“Pfft.” Sapnap said, before stopping after Clay glared at him and sat normally.

A soft giggle left George’s mouth, making him feel a bit lighter in comparison to before. Clay stared at him for a second, not saying anything for a solid 5 seconds. But he went back to normal after that and just gave George a simple thumbs up.

“Hi…I’m George. I’m new here.” George said, not knowing where to place his eyes on. Sapnap took a deep breath and stood abruptly from his seat, gathering some attention from the students nearby.

“Hello George! I am Nick, but you can call me Sapnap.” Sapnap—or Nick—looked proud of himself, a big grin plastered on his face.

He held out his hand to George, who was worried that he’d be hugged so tight again, but still took it. Sapnap aggressively shook their hands, way stronger than a handshake should be. George was worried his shoulder would break until Sapnap finally stopped. He sat back down on his seat before Clay chimed in again.

“George is like King George. That’s so cool right?”

“You didn’t tell me you were a king, George!” Sapnap said, before he gasped loudly. “Wait, maybe I should call you _Your Majesty_?”

“No, please don’t. I’m not a King, it’s just my name is the same with one of the kings in England.” George said in factual tone.

“Aw, poo. Whatever Clay.”

“I just _said_ it was like it!” Clay rebutted.

“Boohoo.”

Their banter went on and on for hours (or maybe just a few seconds) and George noticed himself laughing at the fake fight happening before him. Sapnap and Clay stopped for a moment and looked at George.

George stopped himself as well, looking weirdly at the two. “What?”

“You have a nice laugh.” Clay said. George froze for a moment before covering his face.

“Thanks.” Clay smiled at George.

It was a nice smile. George smiled back.

“So wait, if George is a “king”,” Sapnap said, doing air quotations at king. “Are we his knights?”

Clay’s face lit up. “That’s a good idea!”

“Knight Sapnap and Knight Dream!” Sapnap raised his fists into the air in excitement.

“What does ‘Sapnap’ and ‘Dream’ mean? Aren’t your real names Nick and Clay?” George tilted his head in confusion.

“Well, me and Sapnap made it ourselves as nicknames. Like code names.” Clay said. “But you can use it too!”

“Really? Are you sure?” George asked, a bit taken aback that they let him use their friendship names so easily.

“Well duh, you’re a part of us now. Right Sapnap?” Clay said, poking his friend.

“Yes! That is so cool!” Sapnap said.

“Wait call us by the names!!” Clay said, looking expectantly at George.

“Uhm…” George said, a bit hesitant.

“Sapnap…” He looked at the boy in front of him diagonally with the white bandana. Sapnap clapped lowly for George, pure excitement in his eyes.

“And Dream.” He looked to his right, seeing the first friend he made with.

Both of them whooped loudly, finally catching all the kids’ attention, but they didn’t care. They weren’t bothered at all.

Normally George would care, but seeing their pure happiness and excitement made him want to get up and start dancing as well. George felt his heart warm. He had been so nervous the whole time he’s been here, but he never expected to have such cool friends in such a short amount of time. And it was the best thing ever.

At the ripe age of 13, George had gotten accustomed to his life in Florida. His accent was bit by bit going away but staying over at his grandparents’ place in England during Christmas and summer would never let it go completely. He’s used to the culture and the tiny nuances that make Florida what it is, though he could never get over how hot it could get.

“George,” The said boy was answering his math homework and ignored his friend’s annoyances.

“Geoooorge,” George felt a poke on his forearm. He felt his eyebrow twitch but continued answering, his scratch paper filled with equations as he solved.

“George, come on now.”

“What do you want, Dream?” George flipped head to the side, looking at the ever-so annoying Dream. George tried to glare, but Dream put on such a wide toothed grin that George could only just roll his eyes, mostly in defeat.

“I need your answers,” Dream said, cupping his face with his own hands. “I don’t feel like answering math.”

“What? Go do it yourself, you’re smarter than me anyways.” George shook his head and went on to answer the final question before he can finally call it a day and rest.

“You’re smart too George. Very intelligent.” Dream says, leaning over to ruffle George’s hair with an angel-like (but actually devil-like) smile on his face. Ever since they met, Dream had gotten used to ruffling his hair as his mom first did. And now George can’t go a day without messy hair.

George’s face flushes a little before he just swats Dream’s hand away like a loud, buzzing fly that just won’t stop going around your ear. Dream just laughed in return, leaning back into his chair and played candy crush on his phone.

Dream actually came over that day out of nowhere and told George’s mum that he only had the intention to have a study date together. He looked like such an angel. But turns out he only wanted to play Minecraft together, even bringing his whole laptop setup in his backpack, which was supposed to be books. But George actually felt studious for once and did his homework while his friend grumbled beside him.

As George finished his equation, he wrote down the answer on the last question and finally set his pencil down. He was finally done, and now had to deal with Dream over here.

He expected Dream to tackle him again or pinch his cheeks but instead he was sulking in the chair, arms crossed over each other and mouth pouting. George giggled as Dream stayed the same.

“Why do you hate me, Gogy?” Dream muttered.

George was taken aback; he thought Dream was putting up an act again, but it seemed like he was being genuine for once. But George erased that thought and concluded he shouldn’t fall for it.

“What about it?” George said.

“Oh…so you really do.” Dream said.

George looked at him as Dream retreated to the bed. He placed pillows all over the bed around him and pulled the comforter over his head that covered his body from head to toe. George laughed, and said: “Dream, I know you’re not actually sad.”

But Dream didn’t respond, only moving to probably burrow himself deeper into his pillow and comforter cocoon. George bit his lip. Dream usually bounced back and said ‘ _Yeah, I’m not sad!_ ’ but this time it looked like he was actually sad. He slightly regretted his decision. Maybe he did hurt Dream.

He paced around a bit, hoping Dream wouldn’t hear, before ultimately stopping having finally decided. Pulling his lips together, he tiptoed towards Dream and hovered over his sad cocoon. He could hear Dream’s deep sighs, which he could honestly laugh at, but shouldn’t. He waited a moment, thinking about what to say, but he just threw it out the window and let instinct teach him.

“Dream…I’m sorry.” George said.

No response.

“I don’t hate you. We’re best friends! So…I don’t hate you.” George said, his words as well thought out as his drawings are.

Still no response from the sad cocoon.

“Ughhh! Fine!” George was frustrated and was going to regret his decision.

He stood up straight and readied his heart. He wouldn’t be able to handle how much Dream will tease him for this. He took a deep breath before saying:

“I love you Dream.” It was said very dryly, like he hadn’t put effort, but it was the line Dream just loves hearing.

“Are you happy now?” He said in annoyance.

George pulled the comforter back to reveal Dream not curled up into a sad little ball but instead a big, sappy grin on his face, teeth and all. George stepped back for a moment, a sound of surprise leaving his throat.

Did he just get fooled? _Again_? Dream was chuckling and George groaned, not believing that he just fell for that again.

“You love me, George?” Dream gasped. George rolled his eyes as Dream said a very loud, “Awwwwwww!!”

Dream pounced out of the bed and flailed his hands around George. George groaned again as Dream hugged him tightly, almost not allowing him to breathe. He felt his hair being ruffled again; God, he needs to have a comb that follows him all the time. As Dream finally let go with a giddy yet devilish laugh, a very, tiny, small smile was on George’s face as he patted his hair down. It was kind of nice, he would admit.

“You’re so annoying.” George said lightheartedly, contrary to his thoughts.

“Oh come on, you love me.” Dream teased.

“No, I do not.”

“You just told me you did though?” Dream raised his eyebrows in fake confusion.

“Whatever Dream.” George huffed, not knowing how to counter that at all since it was, indeed, fact.

But the memory of him saying the three words made him look at Dream again in all his freckles, hair now dirty blond, and green (Dream corrected him) but still yellow-looking eyes. He drifted off into silence, not thinking about particularly anything before he heard Dream say something.

“I have a game we can play, George.” George raised an eyebrow.

Dream grinned in a way that George only knew that this would be a bad plan.

“I’ll make you say ‘I love you’ to me,” George was about to protest, but Dream put a hand over his mouth.

“And I’ll make you finally say it seriously.”

_What??_

“Dream, what—” George started, but Dream once again shut his mouth up.

“Also a smooch on the lips like the movies.” Dream smiled. He finally let go of his hand from George’s mouth and set his chin on it as if he was mocking George, but George was left stunned in silence.

_WHAT??_

George couldn’t formulate words. He was too shocked at the concept of this whole…game! Was it even a game? Why would Dream do this and want to kiss him? George was too confused to think and just ran a hand across his hair. He looked at his best friend in confusion, unable to understand.

“And if I do this before we turn 18, you have to do whatever I say.” Dream smirked evilly.

“What?! Hell no, I am not doing what you say. What if you make me like…lick the floor? Or eat a cockroach?!” An internal _ew_ sounded in George’s brain.

Dream laughed. “Well, it’s fun.” George deadpanned him.

“I really don’t understand you sometimes.”

“It’s gonna be fun! You never show me kindness Gogy, so if I win this it will definitely mean I’m like the chosen knight.”

Well, he is right. George was never really soft towards Dream except when it’s serious. But otherwise he wouldn’t let up. Not on his watch.

“You are so going to lose. You really think I would ever say ‘I love you’ seriously?” George looked at Dream dead in the eyes. Dream raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“In your dreams.”

Dream chuckled. “All right, Your Majesty. Just wait until you bite your words.”

“You wish.” George said.

“Hehe.” Dream laughed, intertwining his fingers.

Later on that day, George brushed the game off as it was nothing. This would be an easy-peasy game and he would never let his guard down, not over his dead body. He’d just have to last until he was 18 so he wouldn’t possibly pay Dream ten-thousand dollars in cash. But little did he know that this would be the toughest game ever.

It had been two years since Dream had played that game and were now fifteen, right at the height of their adolescence. George had been worried that Dream would start acting differently and distanced himself for a short while in fear that their friendship would be affected, but he soon realized nothing changed at all. Dream was still Dream, his goofy, annoying, and nerdy self. He had been put at ease that his friendship with Dream was safe.

Well. It was mostly safe.

“Hey buttcracks, check out this waterfall! We could totally, camp out here.” Sapnap called out, far ahead of George and Dream.

“Is there a camping site?” Dream asked.

“Uhhh,” Sapnap said, looking around the area of the waterfall. “Yup!”

“Sweet, this is gonna be great. Right George?” Dream asked, nudging George’s side.

“I’m sleepy…” George said, still a bit bleary-eyed.

It was the break of dawn and it was the day the trio had planned an overnight camping. They ventured out into the forest (that was safe, of course) near their town to pick a camping site. They decided this camping trip way beforehand, about a month ago. But of course, Dream was the fully prepared one, Sapnap was the overly excited one, and George was the one that had just woken up.

“You didn’t sleep earlier today?” Dream said.

“Nope, had to finish the new plug-in. I’m gonna try it out when we get back from this trip to see if it works.”

“You’re so dumb.” Dream laughed heartily. George just yawned in reply, not regretting a single thing from his decision.

“Faster! You guys are mega slow. Snails, I say!” Sapnap yelled.

“Fine, Sapnap, I’ll run sooo fast if that’s what you want.” George said sarcastically, but still jogged to where Sapnap was out of spite.

“Oh god, Gogy! You want me so bad!” Sapnap replied playfully, walking up the rocky steps ahead of George, who just rolled his eyes.

As George arrived at the steps, he realized how steep they actually were. There wasn’t a proper stairwell and his balance wasn’t as good as Dream’s or any other athlete. But he still needed to prove to Sapnap he could go as fast as him (because of his ego).

“Watch me Sapnap.” George said confidently, rubbing the haze out of his eyes. Sapnap just raised his eyes at George expectantly at the top of the steps, before going onto a boulder nearby.

George took a deep breath in and clenched his fists together, before going up the steps. He ran up, taking fast but calculated steps and made sure to take the safest step for his bad balance. The rocks were hard to step on, but it was doable to go up fast at.

He was doing well so far; exceptionally well for him usually. He smiled to himself, before going even faster.

 _I’m not going to let Sapnap get ahead of me._ He thought to himself before taking a big step. 

“Watch out, George!” Sapnap yelled out from above the boulder.

George looked down at his steps, only to be too late as he wrongly placed his foot on a curved rock, making his foot slip. His body froze up as he braced for the impact, but he felt a steady hand holding his back.

“Woah, George! Be careful.” Dream said from behind him, the one holding his whole body from falling.

George breathed out, thankful that Dream was there to save the day.

“Oh. Thanks Dream.” George said. He steadied himself up and was finally back to being on his feet.

“Don’t be careless, okay? You don’t want stitches like me,” Dream said, showing his right arm where a scar laid.

It was the scar that Dream had when he went biking with Sapnap and the two had a race to see which one was faster. Dream got too competitive and started pedaling so fast, but the road they biked was actually a hill, and so he gained too much momentum and crashed. George remembered that story because he wanted to stay home and watch tv.

“I don’t want a scar on your pretty skin.” Dream smiled. He placed a hand on the lower end of George’s back, where he was most sensitive at (none of his friends knew this though in order to save himself from tickling).

George, gulped, feeling a tingling sensation. Not because he was ticklish there, but because of some other thing. He felt his face grow hot, but wasn’t worried about it when he saw Dream running to catch up with Sapnap. Unlike George, he was fit and agile, able to go up the steps with not much of a sweat.

He placed a hand on where Dream touched him and for some reason, it made him blush. He stopped himself, shaking his head; it wasn’t time to think about matters such as this when he had a camping session happening. Though, it clouded his mind.

 _He was so close…_ George thought.

George wasn’t one to be too close or touchy with others, not even his best friends of almost ten years. It was weird in other people’s eyes, but his friends knew he liked to keep to himself. It didn’t make him any less close with Dream and Sapnap.

But the problem was when Dream touches him like that, even for a second. Ever since that day when they started that game, Dream has been, not often, but sometimes touchy with George. Times where he would caress George’s cheek, or hold hands for longer than they’d usually do. And Dream would always play it off as a joke. But it didn’t feel like it, but rather it felt like he’s touching George beneath his skin. It makes him feel…unnerved. But not unpleasant. At those moments, he feels their relationship shift for a moment. It isn’t like it usually is. Are those normal moments that friends have, especially those who have been friends for a long time? George can’t tell.

It was too confusing.

“George!” He heard Dream call out.

“Coming!” He yelled back. He gathered his thoughts and went towards the camping site.

When he arrived, he didn’t expect the waterfall to look so beautiful.

Their site was at a flat area with only small pebbles which was perfect for their aching backs. It was near the pool of the waterfall, which was clean and looked safe to swim in. The waterfall itself wasn’t too strong that it completely showered them every time they went near, but also not too weak where it would look lame. With the forage and flora surrounding it, this truly was the best camping site.

“Hey, let’s take a picture.” Dream said.

“Woah, look at you being the one to start it.” George joked, placing his elbow on Dream’s shoulder. It was quite difficult because of Dream’s height, but he still did it anyways.

“Yeah bro, are you okay? Need some water? We got a lot of it.” Sapnap said, hinting sarcastically at the water pool and mass of water in front of them.

“Whatever Sapnap. Do you have a phone, I didn’t bring mine.” Dream said.

“I didn’t bring mine either.” George piped in.

“Why would you want to take a picture if you didn’t have a phone…” Sapnap squinted his eyes in Dream’s direction, but he just shrugged.

“You losers better thank me because I brought mine.” Sapnap said, grabbing something from his pocket to reveal his phone.

“O God Sapnap, may we forever be in your favor.” Dream said, going on his knees and bowing down to ‘God’ Sapnap.

“Thank you, thank you. No need to thank me. I know I’m great.” Sapnap grinned. George just sighed.

Sapnap handed out his phone to Dream, who opened it without needing to know the password. George stood idly as Dream fiddled with the phone, trying to find the password, before finally finding it and setting it up.

“O-kay, who goes first?” Dream asked before Sapnap piped up loudly.

“Me, me!”

“Uhh, nah,” Sapnap slumped down. “It’s always you who goes first.” George giggled at that remark.

Dream hummed lowly before saying, “George?”

“Oh, me?” He wasn’t expecting to go first. He’s usually the one taking the picture unless there was a fourth person; they like to take pics of him while he’s not looking though though. Most likely for blackmail, which George would absolutely hate.

“Yeah, stand in front of the waterfall.” Dream ushered George, who just walked there timidly.

Once George was standing in front of the waterfall, just enough to feel the little droplets of water bounce onto his skin, he smiled for the camera. It was how he usually smiled, which was in a wacky way. But Dream just shook his head.

“Smile how you would actually smile. Don’t be shy.” He teased.

“Whatever.” George said, but complied anyways.

He fixed his posture once more, straightening his back to at least look taller. Then he smiled genuinely for the camera in front of him, which felt weird since he never does. He showed his teeth and all with his eyes turning into crescents. He used to hear his relatives say his genuine smile was cute, but he never believed them. Once he heard the click of the button, he relaxed himself and set his face back to normal.

Even after Dream took the picture though, he wasn’t looking away from the phone. He was still stood in place. George was confused, not understanding what was there to look at after the picture had been taken.

Then he noticed Dream’s eyes on him, looking…different. It wasn’t how Dream usually looked at him. It was like his eyes were fuzzy with a different emotion; he looked softer. George looked back into his eyes, trying to understand why his friend was looking at him like that. But after a millisecond, their eye contact broke with Dream walking off towards Sapnap, whispering something into his ears. Sapnap’s eyes widened, but then his head shook quickly as he took the phone back.

 _That was weird of Dream._ George thought to himself as he rubbed his nape.

“Take a pic of us, Gogy.” Sapnap said, back to his normal self.

“Sure.” He replied, receiving the phone from Sapnap as he and Dream walked towards the waterfall.

“Smile!” George said, earning a trophy winning smile from both of them. He took the picture and handed the phone back to Sapnap.

“Ooh, I want to see the pics.” Dream said, shoving himself to be beside Sapnap who was looking at the pictures himself.

“George looks cute here, right Dream?” Sapnap said, pointing at George’s second picture.

“Stop it, Sapnap…” George laughed, not wanting see his face.

But stopped when Dream interrupted, saying, “No, he’s right.”

“You do look cute, George.”

A silence fell over them for a moment, the air static after what Dream last said. He didn’t sound like he was joking.

George stood still as Dream was looked at him with that look again. His eyes were burning him. And God did that look made his stomach queasy. He put a hand over his red face just to save his pride.

“God, you should put tape over your mouth. You say the stupidest things.” George quickly said, unable to bear Dream’s eyes on him.

Dream finally looks away from George, who just sighs from the relief, finding dirt more interesting. “Y-yeah, I should.” Dream replied, voice faltering just a tad bit. 

“Cool.” George said.

“Yeah.” Dream said.

Both of them were looking at the ground or some other place, everywhere except at each other.

Sapnap glanced at both of them. “Yeah…anyways, should we build the tent?” George thanked Sapnap internally for speaking up; he should definitely buy Sapnap a smoothie when they go back.

“Sure.” George replied.

All three of them unpacked the tent materials and looked at the instructions, unsure of how to build it. They stuck random parts together in hopes it will work, poked each other with sticks, and even kicked down the progress of another person. The awkwardness finally died down after a short while and George didn’t feel anything weird with Dream. Though Dream started splashing Sapnap with water and Sapnap being the way he is started splashing Dream back. So they left George all alone trying to fix the tent. George does his best putting it together, which was irritatingly slow but he managed to get it done.

And finally, the sun was setting. George stared out at the orange sky that tinted the clouds a soft peach and pink color. Blue was starting to seep in as darkness came along with it. It was beautiful, especially with this clear of a view.

With that though, the need for a light source came.

“Okay, rock paper scissors, whoever loses has to get firewood.” Sapnap said, putting his hand into a fist already.

“I bet George will.” Dream laughed, having his fist out as well.

“Bet it’s Sapnap.” George said.

Sapnap did a raspberry at him and saliva went everywhere. “What is wrong with you?” George complained. Sapnap just shrugged his shoulders.

All of them stood close together, forming a triangle with their hands in the center. Then all said (with Sapnap being alarmingly loud):

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

They stared at their hands for a quick second. Sapnap did rock. Dream did scissors. And George did…rock.

They looked at each other for a second before a cheer erupts from Sapnap, who jumps around like a little kid. George sighs, a heavy weight suddenly disappearing from his lungs. He did not want to go to the forest alone at night. He looks at Dream, who just fell to his bet, sitting in shock but also in pain.

“Fuck you guys.” Dream sighs for a bit before standing up to his feet again.

Sapnap fake gasps. “Watch your language, young man!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Dream said. “Time to go to wilderness alone.” Dream sighed, looking like he’s shouldering a boulder as he walked farther and farther away.

For a second, George felt slightly bad for Dream and was just to go after him before Sapnap interrupted his thoughts.

“He’s a big boy now, he can handle it.” He placed a hand on George’s shoulder.

“Oh…okay.” George said to Sapnap, but it felt like he was saying it to himself.

Later that night, they all had some fun under the stars and splashing themselves with water once again. The first lit the area up beautifully as they sat together and talked amongst themselves. They talked about Minecraft, school, whatever came on their minds; a large percentage of what they talked about though was just them making fun of each other or Sapnap being petty and arguing with the two. Then it was time for them to finally sleep.

The fire died down and soon, they went inside their tents, greeting each other a goodnight while Sapnap smothered them with joking kisses. They all lied down beside each other with blankets over their bodies to keep warm. George was on the right, Dream was on the left, and Sapnap was passed out in the middle, snoring away.

Usually George could sleep fairly easily. Well, not in good times since he usually stayed up late into the hours of the night, but it didn’t take long for him to sleep. But now he couldn’t sleep a blink at all. He was tired, but his mind couldn’t go to sleep. Then, he heard a rustle beside him and a voice speaking up.

“…George.” Dream whispered, bringing George’s attention to him.

“You can’t sleep?” George asked.

“Yeah, couldn’t.”

“Oh.”

A comfortable silence washed over them as the sound of wind breeze filled their silence instead. George tried to close his eyes in an attempt to sleep, but opened them as he heard a rustle in the tent coming closer to him.

“Wanna ditch Sapnap?”

George struggled to sit up and saw Dream sitting cross-legged in front of him, his hands holding him up from the ground beside him. George looked at Sapnap and back at him. A small smile tugged on his lips.

“I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Dream grinned. “Awesome.”

Dream stood up and left the tent, with George closely following suit. George struggled to see where he was going with only the light from the moon and the last dying embers of fire guiding his path.

“Hold my hand, I can see a bit better in the dark.” Dream said. George could see a faint image of his hand reaching out to George.

George didn’t say anything and just held onto his hand.

Dream’s hand was warm and really soft for someone who played football and games. George felt sheepish, like a child following his big brother. This was one of those times where George felt like Dream was such a big figure; it made him feel safe. Even since they were kids.

He led the way with George walking closely behind him, but still keeping a distance. George made sure to step wherever he stepped and felt twigs and branches crush under him as they walked farther from the tent. Soon enough, George was confused on where they were, making him cling a bit closer to Dream.

“Where are we going?” George asked, his voice coming out a lot softer than he expected.

“Somewhere I found while getting firewood. It’s just a bit farther.” Dream said, reassuring him, which worked.

He nodded his head even though he knew Dream wouldn’t see it and kept following him. Although Dream said it’s a bit farther, it seemed like it was really far. Maybe they were walking too slow, but they seemed to have walked so far already. His feet where starting to ache already, though it might be because of the exhaustion from earlier that day.

George might have been lagging behind too much because Dream noticed it and came to a halt.

“Why are you stopping?” George asked, also stopping in his steps.

“The place is a lot farther away. Are you tired?” Dream said. He turned around to look at George.

“Oh, uh…” George was debating on whether to lie and say no or to tell the truth. But Dream cut him off.

“Don’t lie okay.” _Fine._

“…Yeah.” George admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed at how he could get tired so easily.

“Well maybe walking this far could get you to sleep, huh?” Dream said. George just giggled.

Suddenly, he kneeled down, his back facing George. He just looked at Dream in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

“What?”

“Get on my back, stupid.” Dream said, the supposed insult laced instead with affection.

“I can walk…” George said.

“Yeah, but you’re going to walk slower than me,” Dream said, the next sentence being quieter. “I don’t want you to get too far.”

George opened his mouth to speak, but instead stayed quiet. He pursed his lips at what Dream said, which was a lot more endearing than what Dream usually says. It felt warm, like how it felt when they sat beside each other in the campfire.

He got on Dream’s back, putting his hands around Dream’s shoulders and his legs around his torso. Dream stood up and George felt the height between him and the ground, making his heart drop for a second. He clung his arms around Dream tighter. 

“Don’t worry, I got you.” Dream put his arms under George’s legs, securing him.

George pulled his lips together before saying, “You don’t have to do this you know.”

“You’re tired,” Dream said, not sounding an ounce angry. “and besides, I’m your knight you know.”

“Can’t be a knight if there’s no king to protect.” Dream laughed softly.

Then he started to walk.

George could feel Dream’s warmth. The feeling of skin and his arms wrapped around Dream made him at ease. He could smell the faint scent of Dream’s shampoo. It was the same scent it had been all these years; George knew from sleeping over at Dream’s house countless times and using his shampoo, it’s always the same shampoo. George closed his eyes and snuggled into Dream’s neck, feeling strands of soft hair against his face. The same dirty blond hair against his face.

As Dream walked, the repeated up and down movement of his steps made George feel a bit sleepier, though not completely. But it was something. He felt Dream turning his head slightly, before turning back ahead. He wondered what he was looking at.

Then suddenly, Dream stopped in his tracks. George opened his eyes and lifted his head to see a beautiful sight before him.

“We’re here.” Dream said. He knelt down again, letting George get off his back. But his eyes were still trained on what he saw.

“Woah…” Was all George could muster.

Before them was a large clearing void of any tall trees to block the sight. It was a big lake with clear, blue waters sitting soundly, reflecting the sky and was the lights above them. In the sky were stars, thousands of stars that shone brightly without any of the city lights interfering with them. Shrubs and grass that grew wild decorated the ground with spots of flowers decorating it. It was beautiful.

“Pretty cool huh?” Dream said, wiping the dirt off his hands and standing up besides George.

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.” George said.

“Yeah,” Dream replied beside him. George ran a hand through his hair, still not believing the sight in front of him. But Dream wasn’t looking at the sight, but instead to his side. “…beautiful.” It came out in a whisper.

“Hm? What did you say?” George said, looking at Dream.

“Uh, nothing. It’s nothing.” Dream said, rubbing his nape. George eyed Dream, not sure if his face was red or if it was just the darkness messing with his vision. George decided it was probably the latter, but he was never too sure.

“Oh, okay.” George said. “What do you want to do now?”

“You wanna head back?” Dream asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

“I…” George started, but quickly backtracked. He didn’t want to go back just yet. He liked this moment in this place; he liked moments like this where he’s with Dream. He then said, “don’t want to. Not yet.”

“Alright then. I’ll stay with you.” Dream said and sat down, grass covering his legs and arms.

“You always love to follow me.” George joked, sitting down as well.

“That’s just ‘cause I looove you so much, Gogy.” Dream said, making a kissy face at George, who just pushed his face away.

“Yeah, yeah, you really do.” George laughed.

“You don’t love _me_ , George?” Dream asked, faking dejection.

“I don’t.” George said.

“Oh, you do.”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

“I really don’t, Dream.”

“Whatever, George.” Dream wheezed, falling on his back onto the grass. “I’ll make you say you do one day.”

“You won’t ever have the chance.” George smirked.

“Gotta have faith in yourself if no one else will.” Dream said.

George lied down in the grass as well. It was kind of uncomfortable, with the grass sticking up everywhere and prickling his skin. But it was also nice. It cushioned him and it smelled like morning dew and freshly cut grass that took him back to when he sat down on his freshly mowed lawn in his grandparents’ house.

Slowly, He felt his eyes get droopier, a sudden exhaustion coming over him.

“George, are you sleepy?” He heard Dream say from beside him.

He muttered a small, “Mhm.” quietly.

“Okay…want me to carry you back?” Dream asked, his voice soft.

“Mm…” George hummed in response.

Dream must’ve took that as a yes because he felt hands snake under his back and his neck, lifting him off the ground.

_Warm…_

“You can go to sleep George, Knight Dream here will protect you.” He heard Dream say faintly before he finally closed his eyes and sank into a deep sleep.

“You guys left me all alone in the _dark_?!”

“Well, you were snoring anyways. You wouldn’t notice.”

“What the hell bro…this is betrayal…”

“No it’s not.”

“Whatever. Should we wake George up?”

“Let him sleep.”

“You’re such a simp.”

“Am not.”

“I’m waking him up.”

George, still with his eyes closed, felt someone shaking his shoulders. It was very gentle at first, but he rejected it, not wanting to wake up. Then suddenly, he felt his upper body get lifted, which caused him to open his eyes into the bright sunlight.

“WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!!” Sapnap sat in front of him, screaming his lungs out.

George groaned and rubbed his eyes, his vision still blurry. “What…”

“You’re so…” Dream wheezed, bending himself over from laughing too hard. “loud, Sapnap.”

“Probably woke up the whole country.” George said, his voice still raspy.

“I can’t believe you guys left me…I’m so heartbroken right now.” Sapnap said, feigning sorrow and tears.

“It’s ‘cause your snoring was so freaking loud.” George said, sitting upright. He saw Dream stood at the entrance of the tent, snickering at Sapnap.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Sapnap said and rolled his eyes. “You guys are so gross.”

George raised an eyebrow, not exactly knowing what Sapnap was talking about.

“I don’t know what you mean…” George said. He had forgotten everything after he felt sleepy in the grass; maybe he was too drowsy to remember what exactly he did because all he could remember was Dream saying something about going back.

“You seriously don’t remember?” Sapnap asked.

George just shook his head. “I don’t remember how I got back here.” He knows Dream did something, but he doesn’t remember what.

Dream rubbed his nape and said, “There’s nothing to remember, don’t worry. I just, uh, carried you back here while you were asleep. Didn’t want you to sleep in the dirt you know.”

George jaw dropped in realization. “Oh, right! I remember that. You just carried me back to tent, right? Did anything else happen?”

Sapnap opened his mouth to speak but then Dream hastily butted in. “Nope. I just put you back in the tent and I went to sleep too.”

Dream looked back at Sapnap and nodded his head, which felt out of character for Dream. There was nothing to be nodding about. Sapnap’s eyes widened for a split second before he nodded back, his face morphing back to normal. George just looked at the both of them, confused.

“Yeah, nothing really happened,” Sapnap said. “I just woke up because Dream’s fat ass made too much noise.” He glared at Dream, who just put his hands up in innocence.

“Like a fart or something?” George joked, snickering.

“YES! Exactly like that.” Sapnap laughed. Shortly after, he earned a strong punch from Dream, which almost made him topple down from the force and pain.

“No I did _not_ fart. You’re so immature Sapnap.”

“I can’t believe you did that Dream...” George slapped a hand over his mouth to add dramatic effect.

“Ughhh, you guys are annoying.” Dream said, but continued laughing anyways.

After a good few minutes of joking around, the sun was high in the sky already. It told them it was midday, which meant they should be heading back at around this time.

“Okay, I should get changed now.” George said.

“I’m going to take some more pictures.” Sapnap said, holding his phone out already.

Out of the three of them, Sapnap liked taking photos the most while George and Dream were more relaxed about it, not really holding it to that much regard. But Sapnap mentioned once that taking photos give him solid memories, a solid remembrance of something in a specific second of time. It was surprising to know that the jokester Sapnap would be more sentimental about these things, but that’s what George likes about him.

George watched as Sapnap left the tent, running out to find good scenery. He reached put into his bag to find a fresh shirt, jeans, and socks.

As he was about to pull off his shirt, the sudden sound of Dream made him stop.

“Ah, ah, ah, sorry I’ll turn around.” Dream said, covering his eyes with both his hands.

“Its fine, you don’t have to cover your eyes,” George giggled. “we used to change in front of each other all the time as kids. You’re suddenly conscious now?”

“It’s just…” Dream started, but gave up. He turned around, blocking George from even seeing his face. “Yeah, no reason.”

“Okay, Dream.” George said, amused.

He gripped the bottom hem of his shirt and pulled it off, feeling like the thin layer of sweat finally off him. He put on the new shirt, which was a light blue shirt. The new shirt smelled of detergent and felt clean, unlike his old one. As he took off his pajama pants and put on the new jeans, he noticed Dream just standing in silence. George couldn’t understand what was the big deal. He wore his socks and decided he was finally ready.

“I’m good now, Dream.” George said, which made Dream turn around.

“Need your shoes?” Dream asked.

“Yes please.”

Dream grabbed the shoes, which sat just outside the tent, held George’s shoes to him. As George was just about to grab the shoes, Dream suddenly retracted it.

“Wait, I want to help you wear it.” Dream said and knelt down in front of George with his shoes in his hand.

George looked at him confused. “What? You know I can wear them myself right?”

“It reminds me of when you were too lazy to put on your shoes in fourth grade. So you made me put it on for you.” Dream said. His voice was warm and fond. Like was holding this memory of them as if it were a cloud, ready to fly away.

George smiled; that time when they were just kids. It seemed like so long ago. George stayed quiet as Dream carefully put on his shoes for him, as if he were Cinderella. The glass slipper was George’s worn out tennis shoes he’d been wearing for three years. Dream tied the shoestrings, making sure they were secure and double knotted; George always forgot to do that to his shoes.

“I feel like your girlfriend right now. Maybe you should do this instead with a girl.” George chuckled. The thought behind his sentence made his heart ache though, but he couldn’t figure out why.

“Yeah but I want to do this with you, George.” Dream laughed, his eyes turning into crescents. “Can’t a guy help his best friend put on shoes?”

“Well, not many friends do that Dream.” George pointed out.

“True, true.” Dream said, putting a hand on his chin. “But I don’t care because we’re not just any friends. We’re Clay and George, you know?” George was surprised at the sudden use of Dream’s real name, Clay. It had been a while since they used it with themselves, but soon after, he didn’t mind at all. The sound of Clay felt like when they just met. It sounded nice. Just like home. 

“Yeah. Me and you, Clay.” George smiled. Dream smiled back.

The moment felt like forever, the warm, fuzzy air filling their lungs.

That was until Sapnap’s voice brought them back to reality.

“Hey guys, my mom just called me to go back. I really wanted to take more pics cuz this place is gorgeous, but it _is_ 3 pm.” Sapnap said, entering the tent only to find Dream kneeling in front of George, and George staring at him.

Sapnap looked between the two before saying, “We are going home, right?”

Dream snapped out of it. He stood back up and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah. We really should.” George nodded meekly.

“You still have to help your sister, don’t you Dream?” George asked with Dream replying with a nod.

“Yeah, she still has to do her project. I need to help.”

“Okay.” George said. And so they started to pack up their things.

They disassembled the tent and started assorting every part of it back to its tiny box. They also scoured the area for any belongings left and once there were none, they left the area. Sapnap put an arm over his shoulders which helped as they slowly went down the rocky steps. George clung on to Sapnap for balance; once they reached the bottom, they walked through the grass. Dream took some flowers and Sapnap ran after Dream. They went back to the city, leaving the forest filled with beautiful scenery and good memories behind. George knew he would come back here at some point.

All of them rode the bus together back to their part of town and joked around. Dream ruffled Sapnap’s hair and Sapnap took many goofy selfies, sending them to their groupchat. Once they reached their stop, they each said their goodbyes and walked towards their own houses, which weren’t all that far apart but far enough for a good long walk.

“Hi mum.” George said and was greeted with a hug back.

“Was it fun?” His mum said, taking his bag from him. George nodded his head.

“Alright, go wash up now and rest for a bit. You must be tired.” And George did just that.

He went to his room and before going to the bathroom, went into his room and fell flat on his bed. He thought about his day and how much fun he had. But he also thought about Dream’s more-than-friendly gestures. Every action Dream did to him. He felt his stomach do a backflip. But it boggled his mind to think about his best friend like that too much.

Dream… _Clay_ was Clay. He’ll never change from that, no matter what happens. The thought put George’s mind at ease. Suddenly, his bones and thoughts weighed as heavy as rocks. He closed his eyes before going back to sleep once again, the faint image of them having fun being the last thing on his mind.


End file.
